International developments (ID) projects are within the purview of sustainable development. This makes them essential in delivering sustainable built environments globally, particularly in the low- and middle-income countries. Their performance thus goes a long to advance strides in achieving the 17 inter-linked globally shared sustainable development goal (SDG) blueprint for prosperity for all people and the planet. Yet, these projects fail frequently to deliver on their promise. Such failures ripple outward, imposing lasting harm on individuals, communities, and economies and undermining progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. This paper thus explores how to strengthen these critical projects to improve their strategic performance. Drawing on insights from semi-structured interviews, the paper highlights practical considerations essential at the initial planning stage of these projects needful for long-term viability and post-project continuity to enhance sustainable built-environment outcomes. Findings demonstrate that strategic synergies are essential to transforming outputs from these projects into sustained value. Practically, the paper offers policy and planning recommendations for donors, governments and project implementing agencies to mainstream such synergies as an integral pathway for achieving sustainable development objectives.